Egypt Daily News – Dr. Manar Ghanem, a member of the Media Center at the General Authority for Meteorology, warned of severe weather instability expected on Wednesday due to the country being affected by a sandstorm, a khamseen low-pressure system coming from the Western Desert.
In a statement, she said that the sandstorm will be accompanied by strong winds with speeds ranging from 40 to 60 kilometers per hour, which will stir up dust and sand across most governorates in Egypt.
She pointed out that wind speeds may exceed 70 or even 80 kilometers per hour at times, leading to increased dust and sand density in the air and a significant deterioration in horizontal visibility.
She explained that visibility will drop below 500 meters in some areas, especially in the northern Upper Egypt governorates, parts of eastern and southern Greater Cairo, the Gulf of Suez, the Canal Cities, and Sinai, making these regions the most affected by strong winds and reduced visibility.
She stated that the sand storm’s impact will begin on Wednesday morning in the northern Upper Egypt governorates, and the dust will gradually move throughout the day to include Greater Cairo and Giza. She advised citizens to postpone any unnecessary outings to Thursday if possible, or to exercise extreme caution when going out.
She emphasized the need to avoid going outdoors unless absolutely necessary due to the expected weather fluctuations and dust storm, warning that horizontal visibility may drop below 1,000 meters on most desert roads and those leading to new cities, and confirmed that visibility may be completely lost in some areas due to stirred-up sand and dust.
She advised travelers to drive with extreme caution and complete calm, and to immediately pull over to the side of the road if visibility is lost, until conditions improve.
Suspension of Classes in Universities
Several universities across various governorates in Egypt have announced the suspension of classes on Wednesday due to expected severe weather conditions. The affected universities include:
- Beni Suef University (public)
- Beni Suef National University
- Beni Suef Technological University
- Fayoum University
- Al Azhar
- Assiut Technological University
- New Giza University
- New South Valley University (public)
- New South Valley University (national)
- Suez Canal University
- Mansoura National University
- New Mansoura University
- Benha University
- Menoufia University
- Assiut University
- Alexandria University
- Fayoum University
- Aswan University
- Nile University
- Galala University
- Modern University
- Zagazig University
- Alamein University
- Sadat City University
- Sohag University
- New Ismailia University
- Tanta University
Universities Where Classes Continue as Scheduled
Meanwhile, some universities have announced that classes will proceed as normal on Wednesday. These are:
- Cairo University
- Ain Shams University
- Helwan University
- Helwan National University
- Cairo International University
Additionally all schools nationwide will be closed.
